Super Pumpkin Man
Super Pumpkin Man (real name Pumpkin Wright) is a superhero in The Child Wars series who made his debut in The Robot and Recycle Car's Visit and The Case of the Missing Mayor in 2012 and 2013. He makes his third appearance in the 2013 release Super Pumpkin Man versus Sword Robot with his sidekick, Cheese Man. He as well appears in Through Storybird Technology and makes a cameo in A Book of Imagination. Super Pumpkin Man is the archenemy of Spicy Mead and a serious threat to the Hidepounders. Biography Early life Little is known about Super Pumpkin Man’s life before elementary school. When Pumpkin was in fifth grade, he encountered a student named Ursula during recess. According to Super Pumpkin Man, she was a bully. She tried to force him to cuddle with her, but this made him feel uncomfortable. He kept saying no, but she would not leave him alone. So he ran away quickly and reported what had happened to a recess guard. Pumpkin would later tell this to his currently unborn daughter Bonnie, adding that sometimes escape may be the only tactic, even if it seems like the bully is winning. At some point during his childhood, Super Pumpkin Man discovered his powers when he was running a hot dog stand. When the stand was nearly robbed, his powers flourished and he presumably used them to save the stand and its goods. College Super Pumpkin Man began attending a university at the age of eighteen, a university popular enough that nearly every family had at least one student in attendance. Pumpkin quickly made some lifelong friends, including SoccerGirl. On the other hand, it was at this point and time that he got his first taste of the sinister evil of Spicy Mead. Spicy Mead had convinced the Queen that the college needed to be torn down whilst finding a way to trap every attendee under the wreckage. The Queen agreed, but Pumpkin somehow learned of the scheme. Wanting to save the college, Super Pumpkin Man nervously approached the Queen and gave her a detailed analysis of Spicy Mead's plot. Career as a superhero Obtaining a sidekick At some point during his career, Super Pumpkin Man met Cheese Man by unknown circumstances. He also came to suspect that revered detective Zamell III was Spicy Mead in disguise, though he could not prove this and was only skeptical of the possibility. Super Pumpkin Man was unexpectedly visited by a fairy, who gave him the power to heal Cheese. As the latter progressed through middle school, he had gradually turned into a very mean bully who was cruel to anyone who was loyal to their families. The fairy had encountered him by sheer chance and glued a blindfold to his head via magic, preventing him from bullying anyone else. From the start, Cheese Man liked Super Pumpkin Man, but he realized he would have to be nice to be his friend again. Finally, he realized it was better to be nice than to be mean. Sixteen days after Pumpkin was given the power to restore Cheese’s eyesight, Pumpkin realized the time had come. After meeting up with Cheese, Pumpkin spoke the password the fairy had given him, and the blindfold fell to the ground. Cheese explained he wanted nothing to do with friendship because no one would be his friend. Thinking quickly, Super Pumpkin Man made for the library inside his mansion and found a book about social skills, which he gave to Cheese. Cheese Man, who was no longer a bully, willingly read the book every day. Deal with Cheese Man Initially, Cheese Man lived faraway from Super Pumpkin Man. As Cheese really wanted to join Pumpkin, and Pumpkin found Cheese to be too young for his position, the two established highly confidential means of distant communication. However, when Cheese needed a book on volcanoes, he visited Pumpkin in person. He needed to let Volcano Man borrow it, which was the latter's condition for lending a traveling skateboard, which Cheese badly needed. Pumpkin led Cheese into his vast library, where he lent him the book with the promise that Cheese Man would return it within the week.Through Storybird Technology Exposure of Zamell III Super Pumpkin Man received a second visit from Cheese Man when it was revealed that the Mayor was missing and presumably kidnapped. Pumpkin suspected that Spicy Mead was the culprit behind the mayor's disappearance, and he and Cheese recovered the Mayor's button near a dumpster. With this in mind, Pumpkin brought Cheese along with him and they recruited a lawyer named Evergreen, who confirmed Spicy Mead was the culprit. Pumpkin, deciding that nothing could be done without finding evidence of the Mayor's whereabouts, began seeking clues with Cheese. When they located Spicy Mead's fortress, Super Pumpkin Man delved deep into the silent corridors, while Cheese Man met Spicy Mead for the first time and blew his cover as revered detective Zamell III. Super Pumpkin Man found the Mayor, who was with her dog Martha, and proceeded to rescue Cheese from Spicy Mead. Spicy Mead was taken to court. There, Super Pumpkin Man spoke against Spicy Mead, who was sentenced to a fine of 50 thousand and five years of imprisonment. Meanwhile, Pumpkin finally allowed Cheese to officially become his sidekick. Following this event, Cheese Man began living with Super Pumpkin Man and became his roommate, as they were involved together was a crimefighting duo and were "connected as it was". Creating the Great Force Team Because Super Pumpkin Man was sad that the world was always in so much danger, and there were many superheroes, he began to found a superhero society. He got to work thinking and building. However, Spicy Mead learned of this by unknown means. Knowing he would be arrested for life if all the Supers united, he did anything in his power to stop him. First, he yelled at Pumpkin and insulted him. Although Pumpkin did not like being degraded, he continued to build their headquarters. Later, Spicy Mead sent a small robot with a transmitted message to tell Pumpkin in public he was not smart enough to create the society. Then he sent a living messenger with another message to scare Pumpkin, this one of which he ignored entirely. Finally, a fellow mutant named Superdog saw what Pumpkin was doing and decided to help him out. Together, they backfired all of Spicy Mead’s tricks. Astroman also joined them. Finally, Spicy Mead confronted them personally. Pumpkin, Astroman, and Superdog all retaliated, scaring him away. A week or two later, they finished, and the light side triumphed. When Spicy Mead saw this, he finally quit. They named their group the GFT. Astroman ended up becoming the Grand Master, Pumpkin was second-in-command, and Superpup, was a senior member of the High Council. Hidepounder Wars Before long, Spicy Mead and his forces struck back against the GFT, beginning what became known as the Hidepounder Wars. In the eve of the war, Sword Robot was nearly destroyed in an airplane crash. Then Spicy Mead rescued, repaired, and trained him. With his skill, armor, and strength, Sword Robot had become a dangerous enemy to the GFT. The GFT and their army fought against the Hidepounders and their army of robots. Although the President appeared to be a loyal ally, Super Pumpkin Man found him difficult to trust. Brush with the past Apparently, Super Pumpkin Man had a son named Ben during the course of the war. When he confronted two members of the IRS in a treehouse, he also encountered Ursula, whom, despite their enmity in fifth grade, seemed pleased to see him again. Super Pumpkin Man gave her a curt nod. Discovery of Sword Robot Members of the GFT soon managed to discover the location of Sword Robot, who was Spicy Mead’s sidekick. Super Pumpkin Man and Cheese Man both attended the Council Meeting to discuss the war. Mr. Feistycake had called a special session. Even though these special meetings were becoming more common, Pumpkin sensed something different about this session. He hoped it was a turning point in the war. Mr. Feistycake revealed that Sword Robot had been located in Mali. However, Superdog was troubled that they had received no reports from Mali. Cheese said he had received a partial message online from the King of Mali. Grand Master Astroman insisted they had to act on the event, since Sword Robot’s capture would end the war. Every member of the GFT agreed. Although Cheese Man insisted that the President had required him to lead the campaign, Mr. Feistycake reminded him that the GFT would decide instead. Astroman agreed that a more experienced member was needed — Super Pumpkin Man was dispatched for the imminent battle. For the mission, Super Pumpkin Man organized a fleet of GFT Sky Cruisers carrying an army of 450 troops, led by Commander Slash. Some members were tasked to set up perimeter defenses around Hangar 10. Arriving in Mali Super Pumpkin Man arrived in Mali in his GFT Acta-class Skyfighter under pretense of refueling his ship. He was greeted by Carrot Binds, the Port Administrator of the city, observed from a distance by one of Sword Robot’s bodyguards. Binds revealed that the city was being used as a hiding place by Sword Robot and his armies, and that the commander himself was in a school closed for the summer. Not only that, but the robot army was aware of his presence and had ordered Binds to tell Pumpkin of their position here. Super Pumpkin Man sent his repair robot fly back to the forces and inform his troops of the situation, but he stayed in Mali to engage Sword Robot. Knowing he would need a transport, Pumpkin stopped by a pet shop and found a dozen Skyhoppers, guarded by the shopkeeper. Believing that one of these creatures would be perfect, Pumpkin reluctantly employed mind control on the shopkeeper to convince him to loan him a Skyhopper. Finally, he made his choice — a Skyhopper who answered to the name Bing. Super Pumpkin Man swung himself onto Bing, and after apologizing for his inability to pay in advance, exited the store, and Pumpkin rode in secret to the school where the Hidepounders hid. Infiltrating Hangar 10 of the school serving as the Hidepounders’ de-facto command center, he went to a platform overlooking the hangar where he witnessed a meeting of the Hidepounder Council. Battle of Mali Super Pumpkin Man confronted Sword Robot, who sent four small robot cars after him. Using his powers to manipulate the robots, he threw a stick into the water, mockingly playing fetch with them and resulting in their rusting. Evading several soldiers who took a shot at him, Pumpkin challenged Sword Robot to a duel. In response, Sword Robot unleashed a flurry of unpredictable attacks and blows, overwhelming Super Pumpkin Man but failing to penetrate his defense. Pumpkin altered the angle of one of his parries, rather than intercepting Sword Robot's blade, he knocked the robot's left sword away. At that moment, Commander Slash and the GFT army arrived. While Super Pumpkin Man and Sword Robot battled, several dozen troops managed to infiltrate the Unlimited Deflection and they quickly attacked the robot soldiers. Staring in surprise, Sword Robot lunged in another attack. After another brief bout of fencing, the robot’s other sword bounced on the deck. Before Pumpkin could take this chance to kill his enemy, Sword Robot used the resulting confusion to flee, followed closely by Pumpkin. Their vicious chase eventually led them to Sword Robot’s private landing platform where the two completed the battle. It ended when Super Pumpkin Man suspended the commander with telekinesis and escorted him forcibly into a police car. Eventually, Spicy Mead was defeated for good by the Magic Cat, leaving the GFT victorious. SoccerGirl's armistice Super Pumpkin Man often enjoyed watching television shows about detectives and playing sci-fi video games with his children on their Wii. However, their television unexpectedly shut down and broke. In response, Pumpkin brought in a far better one, exciting the entire family, who began using electronic devices more consistently than ever before, much to SoccerGirl's dismay. Eventually, SoccerGirl put her foot down and announced that the entire family had been overindulging in their television and announced there would be no television or video games for an entire week. Pumpkin protested that he needed to watch the news and hear the weather forecasts, but SoccerGirl sternly told him to try reading the newspaper and checking out the weather on his own. The next day, upon returning home from school, Bonnie stared longingly at the television until SoccerGirl shooed them outside. Pumpkin did not take the armistice well. At the mall, he tried sneaking into a room full of televisions being sold. Later, he attempted to sneak up and play video games in the middle of the night, but his entire family caught him just in time. At the end of the week, Super Pumpkin Man agreed with Ben when he claimed he would spend the next day binging on television shows. Contrary to his claim, however, he spent the next day watching television until he decided he had enough and decided to go fishing for trout. Later life Apparently, Super Pumpkin Man opened an advice column at some point following Spicy Mead's final defeat. He would receive letters from children across the globe, including Bonnie. Bonnie had trouble with bullies and Pumpkin helped her by explaining parts of his origin story where he dealt with bullies effectively. Personality and traits Super Pumpkin Man had a mindset ideal for a traditional superhero — he was a nice, generous being and he helped out friends and civilians alike whenever possible. He stayed true to ideal traditional values and would sacrifice his life for any other good citizen. Pumpkin was a courageous and independent leader, hence why Cheese Man looked up to him. His personality reflected an ideal person consisting of good morals, a positive attitude with a selfless mind, he had a sense of justice and honor. He also did not take kindly to reckless behavior or suffer fools gladly. Still, he appears to be insecure about his appearance, as he believes he is petite. Powers and abilities Powers Pumpkin Physiology: There is no doubt that Super Pumpkin Man was a particularly gifted superhero. As a result of his preference to defeat villains through diplomacy, most of his powers are not actually shown, it is clear that he is highly intelligent, strong, fast, agile, and durable. He is known to be a healthy person who exercises regularly and has a good diet. In addition, his reflexes border on superhuman level. Super Pumpkin Man's years of training and experience have made him an expert acrobat and gymnast. However, he does not typically utilize weapons. *'Superhuman Reflexes': Super Pumpkin Man's reflexes border on superhuman level, allowing him to survive a swordfight against the seemingly indestructible Sword Robot. Abilities *'Diplomacy': Super Pumpkin Man is an incredibly skilled diplomat. His diplomacy skills have existed seemingly since he was a teenager, where he approached the Queen to tell her what Spicy Mead was really planning to do. He always prefers to settle disputes peacefully, and usually does this successfully. As a result, most of his powers are not actually shown, it is clear that he is highly intelligent, strong, fast, agile, and durable. He is known to be a healthy person who exercises regularly and has a good diet. In addition, his reflexes border on superhuman level, allowing him to survive a swordfight against the seemingly indestructible Sword Robot. *'Skateboarding': Super Pumpkin Man is proficient in driving traveling skateboards, as he implied when Cheese Man mentioned Volcano had one. *'Stealth': Super Pumpkin Man was also well-learned in stealth. *'Indomitable Willpower': Super Pumpkin Man is a very strong-willed person. He is able to overcome most forms of temptation, even from Ursula, who several students adored leading to their fallout in fifth grade. Pumpkin accepts his own mortality and refuses to rob any sentient creature of its freedom. Pumpkin is also capable of resisting all forms of mind control; only the strongest willed individuals have a chance of enslaving him. Relationships Ursula Ursula was a popular student whom Super Pumpkin Man heartily disliked from his childhood. By the time they were grown, Ursula was married and had a son. Ursula saw Pumpkin and his son, Ben, at a bar where Pumpkin had come to confront two IRS members, where he gave them a curt nod. While Ursula and Super Pumpkin Man eventually made peace, they never became friends. Behind the scenes D. Isaac Thomas has confirmed that Super Pumpkin Man does not exist in the same continuity as his other universes of characters. This would mean that all of his friends, enemies, and the like do not exist in the D.I.T. literary canon either. Appearances *''Lessons from D. Isaac Thomas: The First Story'' *''Lessons from D. Isaac Thomas: Peer Pressure'' *''Lessons from D. Isaac Thomas: Lying'' *''Through Storybird Technology: A Prequel to Storybird'' *''Us.'' *''A Book of Imagination'' *''Lessons from D. Isaac Thomas: Overindulgence'' *''Party Pressure'' *''The Child Wars: An Unwanted Competition'' *''The Child Wars III: Defeating the Terrible Tasmanian Tooth Bunny'' *''The Child Wars IV: Stranger Danger'' *''Super Pumpkin Man and the Cursed Flora'' (unreleased) Notes and references Category:Adults Category:Characters Category:Males Category:Superheroes Category:The Child Wars characters Category:Martial artists Category:Military characters Category:Protagonists Category:Parents Category:Iconic characters Category:Super Pumpkin Man characters Category:Lessons from D. Isaac Thomas characters Category:Collaborated characters Category:Businesspeople